Thinking of doing the caverns by jeep and beach combo. Has anyone done this? Is the cynote swimable??

ara0926

December 8th, 2009 06:42 PM

I have done this!

Hey Cheryl!

I have actually done this excusion! While I did really enjoy it and I can say that I have snorkeled in a cavern there were a few things I didn't love about this excursion.

I feel like a lot of the time we paid for was wasted with excessive waiting/talking. For example:

Waiting for the ferry to the mainland
Waiting to be sorted in our tour group once on the mainland
Walking 100 feet to stop again collect everyone and debrief about our excursion (which took FOREVER)
Walking to where the jeeps were located (about 15 mins)
Getting situated in the jeeps
Driving to Caverns (30 mins)
Letting everyone use the bathroom once we got to the cavern
LONG talk about the caverns
Snack break
Getting back to the jeeps/driving to beach area (30 mins)

Lunch was at the beach and it was delicious. Sadly though b/c of all of the waiting around/lectures we only had about 45 mins at the beach which was sad b/c it was pretty! Before we knew it we were back on the ferry to the mainland.

Don't get me wrong, I am all for safety instruction and learning about the culture and the caverns, however the guides were insanely long winded and very redundant (though SUPER sweet).

Again I did enjoy the snorkeling and it was a neat experience that not everyone gets to have. But I think they should have allocated more time for the excursion so it can truly be considered a jeep caverns & BEACH combo.

Just my 2 cents!

Take Care my friend
Ashley

pamlogan

December 8th, 2009 10:37 PM

We did this trip in November. I thoroughly enjoyed it and although we had a bit of waiting I found it interesting and it didn't seem to be nearly as bad as the above post. I loved the swimming in the cenote but you do have to wear lifejackets so that you don't disturb the silt on the bottom 12ft down! The water is 'fresh' but do take the plunge. It is worth it. The stalactites are fab.
The buffet at the beach was delicious - we had about 90 mins at the beach - lots of time to swim and chill in the beautiful clear water and gorgeous sand. There are plenty loungers and hammocks at the beach too. I would recommend it.
Happy cruising!